The Accord will be entering its ninth model generation, emerging smaller, more powerful and more efficient. Honda says the tidier chassis helps improve handling dynamics while maintaining the current car's cabin space but improving interior luxury. Three new engines include new direct-injected 4- and 6-cylinder "Earth Dreams" series engines as well as a plug-in lithium-ion battery hybrid option that pairs a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle inline-4 with a 120-kW motor. Honda claims an all-electric range of 10–15 miles at speeds up to 62 mph with a charge time under four hours from a standard 120-volt outlet. Transmission options include a CVT, 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic (finally). New features include the cool Lane Watch blind-spot display that uses a passenger-side-mounted camera for added visibility as well as a rearview camera and Expanded View Driver's Mirror, two new standard items.

By the time you read this, leases of the new 2013 Fit EV (available in select California and Oregon markets) will have already commenced. A 92-kW motor sourced from the FCX propels this fun little B-car that stores its go-juice in a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery. There will be three selectable acceleration modes ranging from Economy to Sport, as seen in the CR-Z, for maximizing fun or efficiency within the EPA's estimated charge range of 82 miles. And thanks to an onboard 6.6-kW 32-amp charger, a 240-volt (Level 2) charging station can have you refilled and ready to run in as little as three hours.

While we're still waiting for the second coming of the CRX Si (Honda has hinted that a turbocharged gasoline-only CR-Z is in development), spy photographers have caught what looks to be a Civic Type-R undergoing testing at the Nürburgring. Before you get too excited, this model is likely slated for the European market only. But we're hopeful that development benefits could trickle down to the U.S. market Civic Si—a model that has lost a bit of its sporting edge.